KYTC picks plan for new US 51 bridge, not a crossing through Ballard Wildlife area

The future of what the next Ohio River highway crossing will look like has been determined.

On Thursday, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced that its US 60 Connectivity Study is not a viable alternative to replacing the US 51 bridge at Cairo.

KYTC's yearlong study found that their original plan to replace the 1938 Cairo bridge with a new one in the same location has more public support, a lower cost, and less environmental impact than the more recently proposed route from Barlow through the Ballard Wildlife Refuge Management Area to I-57 in Illinois near Mound City.

They determined that the cost of a new US 51 bridge at Cairo would be $450 million, while a US 60 route from Barlow would cost $1.3 billion.

The US 60 project would still require a multi-year process of environmental assessments to see how it would impact a wide range of wetlands, endangered wildlife and protected public lands. Meanwhile, the US 51 bridge replacement has already received federal environmental approval, and can proceed with construction as soon as design work is complete.

Finally, at KYTC-hosted meetings in the past year, the Ballard County alternative was opposed by 83 percent of the public respondents.

"We know that the existing US 51 bridge is nearing the end of its useful life, and we want to find the best solution to construct a new Ohio River crossing for the region," said Kyle Poat, Chief District Engineer, KYTC District 1. "This study was conducted as part of our duty to Kentuckians, to examine the potential benefits and impacts of a new route and crossing — and the findings are clear: The cost and environmental impacts of a new US 60 corridor and crossing outweigh the benefits."

Now that they are recommending replacment of the current bridge, KYTC will host another public meeting, but this time, they will announce what type of bridge will be built and show what it will look like.

An open house stye meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 11 at Cairo High School.

KYTC staff will be on hand from 5 to 8 p.m. to answer questions about the project, including maps of right-of-way renderings to show affected property owners. A formal presentation will begin at 6 p.m.



MAPS:  1. KYTC approved plan for replacement of US 51 bridge at Cairo;  2. Rejected alternative through Ballard Wildlife area.